Based on some of the secret shopping I’ve done of attorney SEO consultants, it’s likely you’ve been lied to. So, I trout I’d give you the following: The Attorney SEO Lie-Detector
Lie #1 – We know a secret.
Some SEOs like to say that they know something that no one else does. They don’t. At least 99% of the time.
They don’t have a secret tactic that will get you to rank. They don’t have some special deal with Google. They haven’t built some magic tool.
If there’s any “secret” to search engine optimization, it’s that it takes a lot of knowledge, skill and experience to earn the kind of attention that is rewarded by search engines.
Lie #2 – We can guarantee rankings.
Some attorney seo vendors are still selling on rankings. The truth is, they can’t “guarantee” rankings.
But even if they do deliver on the rankings that they promised, you’re still not out of the woods.
Rankings don’t necessarily equate to traffic. Traffic doesn’t necessarily equate to inquiries. Inquiries don’t necessarily equate to the kinds of paying clients you want.
So, even if they’re not technically lying about their ranking guarantee, they’re intentionally misleading you to focus on the wrong metrics.
Lie #3 – We’re the experts.
When it comes to marketing and the Internet, everyone is a self-proclaimed expert. The (sort of) funny thing is, that many of these experts can’t answer basic questions about how search engines work or show examples of how they’ve applied their expertise to a specific attorney’s SEO marketing campaign.
You’ve simply got to ask them who they’re working with, what they’ve done and what specifically they intend to do for you.
Lie #4 – We have the perfect predefined package for you.
What? Really? You have a predefined marketing package that works for different attorneys, with different goals, in different practice areas, in different markets?
No you don’t.
Sure, there are some things that are fundamental to SEO for any attorney. Increasing site speed, on-page optimizations, mobile optimization.
But these are the basics. They’re necessary, but not sufficient.
Any marketing campaign, including one designed to improve business from organic search, must be customized to the specific goals of your practice, period.
They are no one-size-fits-all or one-of-three-packages-fits-all marketing plans that will deliver consistently.
Your practice should be marketed uniquely. Predefined packages simply can’t achieve that.
Lie #5 – what works for one business will work for a law firm.
Some attorney SEO consultants think that marketing law firms is no different from marketing hotels or restaurants.
You know better.
There are a variety of unique considerations to marketing a law practice. Professional ethical considerations to name just one.
Anyone who is doing SEO for an attorney had better be aware of these unique considerations. If they aren’t, they may harm their clients’ reputation or even jeopardize their license to practice law.